Means for cooling gun-barrels.



PATERTED SEPT. 12, 1905.

H. LEHMANN.

MEANS FOR COOLING GUN BARRELS. APPLIOATION FILED mm, 1904.

peror, and a resident of Magdeburg,

UTE-ED; STAT P rur omen.

AHERMANN LEHMANN, or MAGD BU G; GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO FnIEn-KRU-PPAKTIENGESELLSOHAFT,GRUSONWERK, or MAG- DEeURe-BUoxAU, GERMANY.

MEANS FOR cooune slummanate.

TO all 1.071.077 it may concern:

' Be it known that I, HERMANN LE'HMANN, a subject of the King ofPrussia, German Em- K dOlfl of Prussia, Empire of Germany, have inventeda new and useful Improvementin Means for Cooling Gun-Barrels, of whichthe 7 following is a specification.

This invention has for its object a device for efiectually cooling theexterior of the barrels of ordnance, quick-firing guns, and fire.- armswhereby at each discharge'an air-pump isactuated andv forcesatmosphericair intoa 'reservoir, whence said air is brought into contactwith the barrel through a number of nozzles. The compressed air carriesalongwith it the air surrounding the nozzles, and thereby produces anextremely energetic movement of the surrounding air along the surface ofthe barrel, thus effectually cool-I ing it.

- vided with the cooling device.

In order that the said invention maybe clearly understood and readilycarried into efiect, thesame willbe described more fully with referenceto the accompanyingdrawings,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a quickfiring gun of thesliding-barrel type pro- Fig.- 2 .is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is across-section onv the line A B, and Fig. & a cross-section on the line CD. Fig. 5 is an end view of'the barrel as seen from the muzzle.- Fig. 6isan enlarged. sectional view through one of; thenozzles and a portionof .one of the tubes. g I

To the barrel 0 (which in the drawings ils' shown in its retracted orrecoiled positio the air-pump piston Z2 is connected. The cyt inder forthis piston is rigidly connected with the casing d, which does notparticipate in the recoiL The breech mechanism of the gun is notrepresented in the'drawings',' as it is immaterial to the device whichforms the subject of the invention. The barrel is returned to battery bymeans of the recoil-spring 6. Ondischarge of the gun the barrel a, whichis, exposed to the atmosphere, recoils, and the piston b compresses theair which is behind it, thus forcing said air past a valve '5, Fig. 3,into the air-reservoir f, which is connected with the casing d. Fromthis reser* voir the air passesthrough a pipe h, a distributing-passageg, and tubes Z, situated Specification of Letters Patent. Applicationfiled m 2, 1904. Serial him. 206.045. v

' 1 "Patented Sept. 12, 1905.

arouhd the gun-barrel, to the nozzles m of these tubes, the said airescaping from these nozzles onto the surface-oi the gun-barrel. The saidnozzles, which are shown on a'larger scale in Fig. 6," project laterallyfrom the tubes Z and; should be obliquely directed toward, the muzzle ofthe gun-barrel. The air issues from the small outlet-apertures of thenozzles with great velocity, and consequently carries with it againstthe surface of the gunbarrel the surrounding outer air, so that thebarrel is efiectually cooled. During the recoil airis also suckedtlfrough a valve 70 into the cylinder 0 in front of the piston I), whichair as the barrel regains its. firing position reaches the nozzles bythe path already described. As the sum of the cross-sections of-thenozzles is smaller than the cross-section of the air-pump, the pressurein the air-reservoir will gradually increase. During the firstfewdischarges of the gun air will only issue from the nozzlesintermittently;

pressure has .become sufi iciently high an uninterrupted stream of airescapes'from the nozzles. AS already stated, the nozzles should bedirected toward the. muzzle, so that the current of through the openings0 1n the end piece or ring connecting the 'nozzle-tubes'l, and thuspasses over the muzzle, from which it drives the powder-gases;.Inordnance or firearms in which the barrel does not recoil any othermoving part of the gun, such as the breechscrew or breechblock, may beconnected with the air-pump piston, or the air may be compressed by theenergy of .the powder-gases operating through the intermediary of aworking cylinder;

I claim 1. In a gun, thecombination' with the barrel, of a series ofnozzles directing air on the exterior of the barrel and means forforcing air through the nozzles. v 2. In a gun, the combination with thebarrel, of a series of exterior of the barrel'and in the direction ofthe muzzle and means for forcinglair through the nozzles. I

3. In a gun, the combination with the barrel, of a tube extendinglongitudinally of the air flows along the barrel and passes 7 but if theshooting islong continued the pe- 'riods during which airwill issue fromthe nozzles become longer, until finally when the I00 nozzles directingair on the tube.

4. In a gun, the combination with the barrel, of a tube extendinglongitudinally of the barrel andprovided with a plurality of nozzlesthroughout its length directing air in the direction of the muzzle andmeans for forcing air through the tube. 1 a

5. The combination with the gun-barrel exposed to the atmosphere, ofmeans directing compressed air along the exposedpart of the barrel, in amanner to produce a movement of the surrounding air along the barrel inthe direction of the muzzle.

6. The combination with the gun-barrel exposed to'the atmosphere, ofmeans operated by the recoil of the-barrel for directing compressedail-along the exposed part of the bar- 2 rel, in a manner, to produce amovement of the surrounding air along the barrel in the direction of themuzzle.

7. The combination with the gun-barrel, of ase'ries of nozzles arrangedaround the bar- 25 rel and directing air thereon, and means for forcingair through the nozzles.

8. The combination with the gun-barrel, of a series of nozzles arrangedalong and around the barrel and directing air thereon, and means 3 forforcing air through the nozzles.

The foregoing specification signed this 12th day of April, 1904.

HERMAN N LEHMANN.

In presence of WILHELM FLEISCHBACK, JAMES L. A. BU'RRELL.

